neilm

Greetings All, went down to Avalon beach this morning (was going to go to Newport, but found out there's a surf boat carnival on - more bare butt cheeks than you can poke a stick at - yuck). Anyways, got there at about 5:50, berleyed up with cat food & chook pellets & busted up pillies. Got a nice little flathead of about 40cm at about 6:15, then a tailor of about 35 cm at about 6:40. Very quiet after that, but at least I broke the drought ( ) - it's been 4 sessions since I caught anything...! Have a good one. Cheers, Neil

Orangeguy! I've had all sorts of difficulty getting poddies in the past, but then I went down near the boatshed and got a stack of them in a trap similar to yours. I think the other fish you're talking about could be toadfish - sort of beige with mottled brown on their backs, with an off white underside? Horrid little buggers. They were responsible for savaging my SPs last week in the lake. Good Luck! BTW, Sharky, the lake's closed again, but the fishing's still not bad since the little flush out that it had. Cheers, Neil

I read somewhere about using the tactic of creating a big slick of tuna oil and blood berley when they arrive. Whilst you're at it you may wish to change to a nice heavy wire trace if you get my drift.

I'll try to make it, we need to ensure these politicians don't sell us out. This is much bigger than just Sydney harbour and the currently declared marine parks.

Pete Le Blang has asked that we're there for photos at 11:00am. So fish first and take a break at 11, then downrig a yakka around Scotland Island after. Please show your support! There are more details here: http://www.sydneyfishfinder.com.au/pittwater.html Thanks for drawing everyones attention to this netic! Cheers, Neil

Mate! I go fishing as often as possible,and I've just started to keep a diary with the following info: date, time, location, day of week, outside temp, water temp, wind strength & direction, swell size & direction, weather (eg. cloudy), recent rain, barometric pressure, water clarity, bait, rig etc.etc. I decided at the outset to be really anal about it otherwise it's going to be of limited use. I have also noticed that there is one available (published by AFN) in the bookshops that I may purchase. Hopefully, next year I'll be able to see some trends and catch more fish! (I started in December and am already seeing some things that I hadn't thought about). Good Luck with your quest for information (I'll also be looking at this thread with interest - there's no point finding out stuff the hard way ) Cheers, Neil

Well done on the Kingies, I have to agree with Mr Fantastico on the releasing of non required fish. The problem with the morons that keep undersize fish is that the greens can use this as an argument for more marine parks and further limit where we can fish. How's their form?

Nah mate, nowhere near Sydney harbour - about 30+ mins drive north. It's an ocean beach so subject to the outflow from Narrabeen lagoon and other environmental elements, but at least not dioxins. Cheers, Neil

I rang them (Balmoral) in December, apparently they'll have their boats this year (March I think). Also, there an Abbottsford hire boats, but they got vandalised so not sure when they'll get a new compliment of boats for hire. Cheers, Neil

Ha ha, I wish there was! You really have to fish before dawn or after sunset, as the surfers will be there all day long in summer, and my experience shows me if you find a nice gutter with a rip nearby, then the surfers will use this as a short cut out the back, meaning casting fish-scaring shadows over the route to your gutter. You might get lucky though and find a relatively quiet spot, even on Narrabeen. Best to get there an hour before sunset and find your spot and just berley until there are sufficiently few people in the water to allow you to fish unhampered. Similar thing at dawn. Cheers, Neil

Got down to Little Narrabeen before dawn with my son on Oz day. Messy conditions with a 1.5m slop and a nasty current. Water around 22 degrees. Overcast, humid and 22 degrees out. Sent out some slimey mackeral and watched it drift quickly along the beach, so put on a heavier sinker, and still had difficulties making it stick. My son was having similar problems, but found a spot close to the rocks where he could hold bottom. After about an hour he came up with a rock cod of sorts. After nothing for a long time, I switched to live worms at about 7am to sort out the whiting & bream. NOT. I ended up with a ray of about 30 cm (on worm), and my son the rock cod thing. We gave up at 09:45 after a less than satisfactory outing. So far not much luck on the beaches this summer. Was going to get out again this morning, but last night decided on the instead. Will be out there before dawn again this Sunday! Cheers, Neil

I'm planning on getting there before first light tomorrow.

Try near the marker at the north-western point of Shark island. Berley up well with chook pellets mashed up cat food and a bit of tuna oil. A few weeks ago I got a big cloud of yakkas going. Good luck (& leave some kingies for me...!) Cheers, Neil

Lots of horrible domestic duties. But on Sunday I'll be up before dawn for a beach bash. Then I've got next week off! A charter booked for Monday with my son, then some ideal high tides at around dawn on Thursday and Friday - watch out fish! Have a good one all, Cheers, Neil

Just had a look. I'll be staying home tonight. It's a bit disappointing, there is a channel about a car's width wide (maybe a little more), and it looks about a foot deep, maybe a little more. From the angle I looked, I would say that the channel flows down to sea level, such that a high tide might not even allow water to flow back into the lake to assist in a good flushing. With luck and more rain the channel may open out some more and become properly open and allow numbers of fish to get out. If I weren't at work tomorrow I'd be be praying for heavy rain tonight and be down there before first light tomorrow morning. Good luck to all those who venture out. Sharky - apparently a big fat bully mullet is the way to go! Cheers, Neil

I'm planning on heading down there. With my wetsuit if I have to. Cheers, Neil

Mate, Keep at it mate there will still be the good days, and as people have already said in this thread, it's about being 'out there' and winessing the joys of nature, mateship and all. Even with Pittwater currently in the doldrums, this place is a dream to fish compared to where I come from. Imagine this: size 20 hooks, 0.5 kg line, one hempseed, 1.5kg berley, 13 foot fishing rod, 10 degrees out. A 0.5kg roach (a type of UK fish) if you're really lucky. I still never, ever gave up fishing, it's in our blood. Cheers, Neil

great report, made my day. cheers, neil

Hey Fellas, I know it's a tough one, and I know that there are too many sites, mags, etc who will publish this information, but there are a coupla things that make me think it worthwhile: Sites like fishraider are extremely current - mags, other sites (eg. fishnet) take 3 or 4 days or longer before they get the info online or published in the press. The less the pros hear the better. I hear what you're saying, and I do agree (I've written to McTaggart local state MP for Pittwater, McDonald, DPI, Manly Daily on the specific subject of Pittwater, and Morris Iemma & Carl Scully on the subject of reduced flows, desalination plants, not using tertiary sewage treatment etc., and the effect of these on recreational fishing on coastal NSW & estuaries), so any others writing would be appreciated! Thanks for you support. Cheers, Neil

Davy. There's heaps of helpful people here and millions of years experience! Cheers, Neil

Hello All, as you will be aware, Pittwater has been the subject of out of town Pro fishermen who come with their nets and destroy the resident fish population. At the risk of stating the obvious, these blokes are out of towners, would it be possible that they use forums like this to assess the number and types of fish that people are catching, and whether it's worth them coming to net these waters? These pros haven't yet been benned from Pittwater (unlike Botnay where they have), so let's not give them any information regarding what's going on in Pittwater. What do you reckon? Cheers, Neil.

Good report mate. Had a quick look at North Narra on my way to work at around 7:15 this morning, there was quite a shore break as you describe. Bad luck on the lost fish, but great that you're able to enjoy wetting a line with your Dad, I hope my son takes me for a fish when I'm getting on... Me & my son had a quick beach bash near Narra last night, all we got between us was a 60cm port jackson shark, and I've caught seaweed that fought better! Cheers, neil

Can't fish this weekend as I'm taking to the Hunter for a weekend at the wineries, so I'll have to partake in my second favourite thing Will make up for missing the weekends fishing with a sesh tonight and again after work one night next week. Have a goodun raiders! Cheers, Neil

Well done Josh! I've all but given up on Pittwater for the moment and am bashing the beaches. Good news at last. Cheers, Neil

Hi Trev, I've PM'ed you. Cheers, neil